Note: For this story, one Lien is equal to one American dollar as opposed to Canon RWBY having Lien roughly equal to Japan's Yen.

X

-Blake-

Blake Belladonna was sitting down and holding one of her favorite books in her hands, but, for perhaps the first time since she'd purchased it, she was paying more attention to Yang than the ink on the pages. "Wow, Yang, that's-"

"Crazy, right?"

"I was gonna say 'sounds like it's straight out of a movie,' but yes." Yang was inside her own closet, putting on the next assortment of clothes for Blake to evaluate. When Blake had been invited over for "some long overdue girl time," helping the blonde pick out an outfit for a date hadn't been what she had in mind. Finding out that said date would be with Jaune, however, piqued her curiosity and boy did Yang spill. "It seems like you all have been busy behind everybody's back."

"Definitely. Sorry to lay it all on you like this, but I've been wanting to talk about it to somebody that wasn't family, you know?" Yang stepped out from the closet and looked herself over in the mirror. Nodding, she turned to Blake and asked, "So, how's this one?"

It was an interesting ensemble: A baggy, orange sweater with a red skirt and leggings. Blake crinkled her nose. "You're one pair of glasses away from being able to say 'Jinkies.'"

Yang glanced at the mirror again. "You're right, what was I thinking? Next!"

Blake rolled her eyes as she disappeared. Yang had been through a few outfits in the process of telling her and Jaune's story. Taken in bits and pieces it was fairly romantic and not unlike what she might find in one of her books; however, something was sticking out to her, and that something bothered her. "Can you walk me through something, Yang?"

"Hmm?"

"So, Jaune gets his heart crushed by Weiss not showing up to their date-"

"Right."

"-Then, Jaune has to shoot Pyrrha down after the dance, causing Pyrrha to avoid sitting at our lunch table half of the time-"

"Sadly."

"-After that, Jaune finds out that Weiss ditched him on purpose, hurting him even more than before, and that's when you decided to start being aggressive with your feelings?"

"That about sums it up, yes. Why?" Yang reappeared, this time in a slim, orange dress that accentuated her figure. Rather than examine herself she waited for Blake to finish her train of thought, which the latter appreciated.

"It's just, from an outsider's point-of-view, you picked Jaune up on the rebound. It sounds like he was hurting pretty badly, and then you came along with the knockout punch." Blake gave an awkward shrug. "That's how I see it, at least. I'm worried about how that would affect you two- I don't know, being a thing."

Yang froze, which was an unusual thing for Blake to see from her, but that just meant that her words had hit close to home. She wasn't trying be mean or upset her friend, she just wanted to honest. Slowly, Yang turned to the mirror and peered into it, and Blake noticed that the blonde was gazing into her own eyes as opposed to simply checking herself out. What did Yang see in her reflection? "I... I don't want to be like my mom, Blake."

Her cat ears twitched curiously. "What do you mean?"

Her words were slow. "I mean- My real mom, Summer, has regrets over how things went back in her day. She'd been passive, and that ended with more than a few hurt feelings in the end. I gave Weiss and Pyrrha a chance since they'd been right there beside Jaune, but now? I don't want to hold back. I don't want to look into the past and say 'If only.' This is my chance, my story, and I refuse to let things just pass me by. Is that so wrong?"

Blake was glad she didn't have to look straight at Yang, because she hadn't been expecting something quite that harsh. Yang was wrestling with something, and Blake didn't know how she could help besides just being there for her when she needs it. So, Blake set her book down, stood up, and gently set a hand on Yang's shoulder. "Just be careful, Yang. I don't want you to get hurt, that's all."

"Thanks. I appreciate it." Yang smiled at her, which she softly returned as she returned to her seat. "Happy topic now. How's this dress?"

Blake rolled her eyes. "You look like a high-class hooker."

Xiao Long paused for just a moment until her face burst into a grin. "Aww, thank you! I'm gonna hold on to this one for another day, then, but that's not the look I want. Next!"

Shaking her head, Blake finally put her nose back in her book. She still had a bad feeling about all of it, but she'd stay quiet until she found something constructive or helpful to share. Her promise to her father came to mind: helping Weiss out if she needed it. Blake just hoped that she could uphold that promise without getting stuck between two friends, because that would be annoying...

Speaking of Weiss, what did she want out of all of this? She'd have to talk to the former heiress soon. Maybe she might need help that wouldn't include picking through clothes. "Blake, how about this?"

There was a brief glance. "No."

-Weiss-

Weiss slipped on her new business shoes and appraised her appearance for the final time. Outside of a light jacket and having to replace the damaged heels, she was wearing the same business outfit she'd worn the day of the meeting with the White Fang. It was a deliberate choice, as she refused to allow that horrid memory to remain attached to her attire. She would purge her past and walk out of this meeting with her head held high, so help her Gods.

There was a soft knock on her open bedroom door, and Jaune asked, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes. Let us be off." She grabbed her suitcase and met up with him, together walking out of the house for the most important meeting of her life thus far. The trip to the lawyer's office was quiet, as had become the norm, but Weiss doubted that she would be in the mood to talk even if they still on good terms with each other. The contract had gone back and forth a number of times, each iteration having some problem or line that Jacques tried to slide in within all of the lawyer-speak. It had been stressful, but, fortunately, Juniper Arc had proved to be very adept at parsing through the endless paragraphs in order to find any and all troublesome clauses.

Fifteen minutes after their departure from the house, Jaune found a parking space and pulled in, though he kept the truck running for the heat. "We're here."

She glanced at the building across the pavement. It was a nondescript two-story office building with a sign above the door that said "Greenling and Associates." When she went inside, she would be meeting with a man named Blossom Gale, who would be acting as her lawyer and witness in place of Juniper. Weiss grabbed her suitcase and opened the door, late November's chill nipping at her immediately. "Thank you for the ride, Jaune."

"No problem." He paused a moment before adding, "Good luck in there. You're gonna be fine."

She chuckled despite herself. "Do you mean fine, or f.i.n.e?"

"Both, I think," Jaune retorted with a smirk before bringing out his phone. "I'll be here when you get out."

She nodded and said, "See you in a little while." Lowering herself to the ground, she shut the truck door and walked to the building quickly to escape the wind. The interior was about what you would expect, with the walls painted a soft taupe and a small list of names next to the receptionist, which contained the brief details of all the lawyers employed there. Straightening her skirt before walking up to the front desk, Weiss adopted a polite business smile and said to the brunette employee, "Hello, my name is Weiss Schnee. I'm here to see Blossom Gale as part of a group meeting."

"Of course, one moment, Miss." The unnamed woman swiftly grabbed the desk phone and pressed two buttons. "Mr. Gale? Weiss Schnee to see you."

"Understood." She set the phone on the receiver and turned back to Weiss. "He'll meet with you in Boardroom 3. Go down this hall, take the first left, and it'll be on your right."

Offering her thanks, Weiss followed the instructions and found the appropriate room. It was a smaller room, designed for ten people at the most to be sat around the center, rectangular table. Taking the side opposite of the door, she sat herself down and set the briefcase on the table. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long before a stocky man with strawberry-blonde hair walked in and gave her a polite smile. "Miss Schnee, I presume."

She reached a hand out, which he quickly shook. "Indeed. Thank you for your time today."

"It's no issue at all. June is a dear friend of mine, and I'm happy to take her place for this. You have all of the required contract copies, I hope."

"I do." She opened her briefcase and showed him the three stacks of paper, all identical, that would be the final cut of the relationship between Jacques and herself.

They engaged in light pleasantries until someone knocked on the boardroom door. When Blossom called our "Enter," Jacques Schnee himself walked in, accompanied by a rather thin man with a handlebar moustache. Blossom and Weiss both rose, with the former stating, "Greetings, Mister Schnee. My name is Blossom Gale, and I'll be representing your daughter today. And how-"

Blossom's businesslike demeanor faded for a moment. "- dreadful it is to see you here, Arthur."

"Likewise, Gale, but fortunately it appears that we won't have to keep each other company long." The man named Arthur nodded towards his client, who had already taken the seat opposite Weiss. "Miss Schnee, please produce the contract for me to review one more time."

Weiss passed one of the copies to her father's lawyer before sitting back down, not quite able to still her angry tongue. "I must say, father, that was quite the attempt at undercutting me. How was it you referred to the designated wage role? 'Sanitation Director?'"

"All the better to take out the trash, my daughter." He sniffed the air to make his point. "You haven't made any last minute changes to the terms of your silence, I hope."

"Of course not, I'm not like you."

Blossom and Arthur remained silent, the latter flipping through the pages in an attempt to find any discrepancies. Pausing only to point to an unknown passage and quietly ask Jacques a question, the wiry lawyer made quick work of the contract and set it down when he was done. "I see no issues or errors in the documents. Jacques?"

The elder Schnee pulled a small, brown envelope out of his pocket and slid it across the table. Weiss caught it just before it went off the edge, shooting Jacques an annoyed glare before opening it and pulling out the sole object within: a cashier's check from the Central Bank of Vale, with all of the important security features present to prove its authenticity.

Three hundred and seventy-five thousand Lien, the first of four equal payments as Jacques needed to avoid suspicion in regards to his taxes. That was the price of her silence, and her freedom. This small slip of paper would help her carve out a new path in life. Voicing none of this out loud, she kept a stoic face as she said, "The amount is correct. Let us sign these papers and be done with it."

All three copies of the contract made the rounds, four signatures sealing the private deal forever. One copy would be going with Jacques, one with Weiss, and the last would be stored within the building for safekeeping. Jacques didn't say another word, and once he had his copy he simply dismissed himself. Arthur followed suit, only nodding politely to Weiss before he disappeared.

Weiss stuck both the check and the papers in her briefcase, letting out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. "Finally."

Blossom chuckled as he grabbed the office copy. "It's been a long time coming, huh?"

"Not really, but it definitely feels that way." There were still a hundred things to solve regarding her situation, not the least of which was finding an apartment to move into. Her life had gotten from being guided and stable to loose and uncertain, and she certainly wouldn't have an easy time adapting to a new lifestyle. And none of that took into account that she had no idea what career she should strive for now.

But right at that moment, none of the above mattered. She was free. She was free! Bidding farewell to Blossom, she stepped back out into the cold, outside air and let the wind whip against her skin. Autumn was a season of transitions, and her life was certainly due for some changes. The coming Winter was looking to be difficult for many reasons.

It's a good thing she was raised in Atlas, then. She could handle a little chill.

X

I won't say "Hey, I'm back to writing now!", because we all know what happens when you play that game.

I hope you enjoyed this brief chapter as I try to get back into the swing of things.